>.176,. 
The DEXJMMiNa of Rdfpbd Gkocse. — North Bridgton, 
Me , — Editor American Field : — I was much interested in 
Roxey Newton’s article on the drumming of the ruifed 
grouse. I ha\'e given the subject some study and now, al- 
though I have many times witnessed the performance, and 
more than once have laid concealed so near the bird at such 
j times that I could have touched him with a yard-stick (I 
I lay no claim to Indian blood) I acknowledge that I know 
no more about it than before. The beating of their wings 
is so very rapid that I do not believe any man is favored 
with eyes sharp enough to distinguish whether the bird 
beats its sides, the log, or neither. However, if my reputa- 
tion was at stake on the subject I should incline to the be- 
lief that the drumming was caused by the vibration of the 
wings through the air. Now can a grouse stand erect and 
beat the log with anything more than the tips of his wings ? 
I think not, and such being the case I do not think the noise 
would be noticeable were it not supplemented by other means 
Notice the “buzz” of a humming bird’s wings as it pauses 
in its flight, were they as large as grouse, could they not do 
a respectable job at drumming without beating either their 
body or a log? When you have had one or more loons fly 
over you, high in air, has it never occurred to you that, were 
their wings moving with tfie'velocity of a “buzz saw,” they 
would discount the drumming of a grouse ? I will not say 
grouse do not beat upon logs with their wings but I believe 
it is o nly done accidentally. Any one who has noticed how 
quickly a bird in confinement will wear away its primaries 
in beating against the sides of its cage can hardly believe it 
can rapidly thump them against a log for several minutes 
daily and have any wings left. In my collection I have a 
male. ruflEed grouse which I shot from a September drum- 
n^ng log, and even the tips of its wing feathers show no 
; abrasion. Long Lake. 
DRUMMING OF THE RUFFED GROUSE. 
Nashville, Tbnjj. ' 
Editor American Field : — I have had some experience 
with the ruffed grouse, and have been interested in the re- 
cent letters in the American Field on the subject of the 
peculiar noise made by them while drumming. This noise 
is usually made while the bird is standing upon a log, but 
the log has nothing whatever to do with the sound produced. 
The bird while drjimming assumes an upright position and 
. droop his wings u^l t^ flight feath ers almost, or quite, 
’ touchthe log, or other perch, on which he stands.'^e fhe'S^' 
by an intense muscular effort, makes quick, spasmodic 
beats with his wings. In doing this, the ends of the wing 
feathers may, and perhaps sometimes do, touch the log; bu( 
it is the intense quiver of the flight feathers, as they come 
in contact with the still air, in the short and intensely rapid 
beats that produce the soft, yet powerful and far-reaching 
sound. No impact of a feather, or feathers, with a solid 
substance— especially a moss covered log, could ever make 
a sound capable of being heard for a quarter of a mile 
The air seems to be fllled with the sound, soft as it is, and 
it seems to come to you from every direction so that it re- 
quires a quick and practiced ear to locate it correctly. This 
is proof positive that it is produced by vibratory action in 
the air and not by the impact of two solid substances. 
At times I have been absolutely nonplussed in efforts tc 
locate the bird. On one occasion, thirty years ago, I was 
one of .a party of college students rambling in the mount- 
ains of Western Virginia. It was a still, hazy afternoon in 
the Fall of the year— a typical day of the Indian Summer. 
Two of us had separated from the party and were making 
the ascent of a lofty spur of the mountains in order to enjoy 
the scenery. About midway we sat down to rest by the foot 
of an old willow tree. While there we each heard for the | 
first time the mysterious sound. We had no idea what it j 
was and supposed, for a time, that it proceeded from the ' 
hollow tree by which we were seated. We were making an 
investigation, when my friend called my attention to a large 
bird standing on a log a short distance away. I knew at 
once that it was a “drumming pheasant” (ruffed grouse). On 
descending, and again joining our companions near the foot 
of the mountain, we again heard the peculiar sound, when 
there arose quite a discussion as to the direction from which 
it came. All the party, except myself, contended it came 
from a direction exactly opposite from the true one, when I 
denfonstrated to them the advantage of having a huntsman’s 
ear by going straight to the bird and locating him on a log 
some hundred and fifty yards distant. The sound begins 
with a measured beat and winds up with a more rapid stroke 
— thus, fuff fuff- fuff-fuff, fuff fuff. 
The turkey gobbler makes a sound, while strutting, that 
is perhaps as little understood as that made by the ruffed 
grouse. I do not think I ever saw a man who did not think, 
if he thought about it at all, that the roaring noise — the 
bur-r-r-up, made by a gobbler while strutting — was pro- 
duced by his wings. Many think it is produced when he 
drags his wings on the ground, but this is not true ; neither 
is it produced by his wings at all, but by his tail. I first 
discovered and satisfied myself thoroughly on this 
point a few weeks ago, during the session of the poultry 
show, at Nashville, where I had better opportunities for 
observation than were ever afforded to me before. Every 
hunter who has enjoyed that sport of sports, wild gob- 
bler hunting, in the gobbling season, is familiar with 
this sound. Many and many a time has it made my blood 
tingle as it announced the slow and stately approach of a 
grand old bird that I was luring to his death. Until re- 
cently I had been of the opinion it was produced by 
the intense quiver of the flight feathers of the wing. One 
can see in a few minutes’ observation of a tame turkey cock, 
while strutting, that it is not produced by dragging the 
wings upon the ground. 
This sound is produced after the wings have been raised 
from the ground, and while they are apparently stationary, 
and the gobbler standing still. It will be seen that the tur- 
key droops his wings and drags them on the ground while 
he takes a few steps, his wings in dragging on the ground j 
producing very little sound. Then he will stop, raise his 
wings slightly from the ground and then you will hear the 
roaring sound, and as it ends you will observe a perceptible 
jerk of the body produced by releasing certain muscles 
after a powerful contraction. The powerful contraction of 
the muscles referred to produces an intense quiver of the 
long feathers of the tail which are erect and spread like a 
fan at the time. 
It is this intense quiver of the tail feathers that produces 
the roaring or buzzing sound. Any one can satisfy himself 
of this by. putting an old gobbler in a large coop on a level 
with the observer’s head and watching the motions of the 
bird while strutting. H. E. Jones. 
US 
